Head of the River Fours

The idea for a Tradesmen's Tideway Head Race for fours, was first mooted in the early 1950s by the Thames Amateur Rowing Association (the TARA).

In the late 1950s the ARA and NARA finally merged into the Amateur Rowing Association of Great Britain.

The event then became known simply as the Head of the River Fours, and was handed over to a new Committee in 1963 after the TRCA's eventual amalgamation.

In the first race, 34 crews rowed over a three-mile course from Chiswick Steps to Putney Pier.

Fuller, Smith and Turner began their sponsorship of the Race in 1979 and event winners are rewarded each year with excellent hospitality in the Hock Cellar at the Griffin Brewery in Chiswick, where the prizes are presented.